Thursday, August 30, 2018

A tale of two worlds

                                                                                                               Ankur Bora
Childhood is a period full of adventure, amazement and wonder for everyone and everything in its sphere. Children see the world with unbiased eyes, never judgmental, never opinionated. As we grow up, we become self-conscious, the pull of one’s race, ethnicity or religion become dominant leading to division, intolerance and bigotry. However, as we age and gain wisdom through experience, we become the little children again – instead of analyzing everything and letting inconsequential matters, we began to appreciate and again embrace the world of joy, love and innocence.
The decade of eighties in Assam was a tumultuous period - an upheaval unparalleled in the history. It was the best of the time, it was the worst of the time, when a just and peaceful movement by the indigenous Assamese fearful of becoming minority in their own land was exploited and overpowered by anger and violence. The movie Xhoihobote Dhemalite (Rainbow Fields) set in the time of Assam’s student agitation and in the back drop of this unrest, is a heartfelt drama that will certainly strike a nostalgic chord in anyone who grew up in that era.    

The title of the movie Xhoihobote is a metaphor that cuts across geographical barriers. Whether it is the orphanages in Afghanistan, displaced families of Myanmar or the refugee camps of Syria, the violence affects the children most. The innocent mind, the magical world, the playful days of children are shattered by violence, protest and agitation every day – Have the world ever stopped to think about them? Bidyut Kotoky’s film is about these children caught in conflict.
Bidyut Kotoky with the child actors

The movie takes us into the main character Niyor’s childhood, the happiness, the fun and games. Bidyut’s portrayal of lush green fields of Assam, set against the backdrop of picturesque Brahmaputra valley where childhood innocence flourishes, is so vivid and lyrical that even those of us who didn’t grow up there might imagine we did. As unrest begins to brew, these children encounter devastating act of violence. One day, while walking back home after school, they witness a violent mob on rampage. The brutality, seeing people burning to death, is the pivot that propels the rest of the movie.
Jani Vishwanath is the  founder of a family foundation called Healing Lives, which extensively works in the field of Education in underprivileged countries

 Bidyut Kotoky is a sensitive young man with a vision that nobody understood.  The making of the movie, how he pushed against all odds, itself is a captivating story. The money for the movie was raised through crowdfunding, a novel concept whereby the director reaches out to people with a similar mindset who will come forward and contribute financially. While he was able to raise a decent amount, it was not enough. Undaunted, Bidyut set off to convince Jani Vishwanath, a Dubai-based Indian philanthropist. Ms Vishwanath, initially, had no idea about the movie – “I just knew that Assam is a beautiful state in India, but beyond that I didn't know anything.” As she got to know more about Bidyut’s struggle, she felt an urge to rescue the project by offering him the funds he needed for the movie's commercial release, “It's so wonderful to know that there are people like Bidyut who want to make a difference, people like him are the beacons of hope”.  

One of the defining moments of the film is the arrival of grandfather of Niyor, played by Victor Banerjee. It is a treat to watch as filled with theatrics, the legendary actor lights up the screen addressing Niyor’s family as “raiz xokol” – a popular Assamese word to address the audience. The grandfather, in an effort to defuse the incident where the grandchildren witnessed the violent mob, tells them that everything happening that day was a play, the act of violence was just part of a film shooting. It is a stirring tale, a common man’s desire and search to make sense of a seemingly senseless world. Xhoixobote Dhemalite does recollect the pain and suffering of a horrific incident, but the director has also been able to remake the past. While leaning on memory he exercises his imagination and creates a new memory. It is a story of redemption, a message of hope in an age of cynicism and an affirmation that inspires us to dream on and keep moving. 
Victor Banerjee  with Dipannita Sharma
    
If you’re pursuing something you’re truly passionate about, then no amount of skepticism and obstacles will stop you. It’s only because of a young man who never let his audacious vision down, a movie that no one believed in, finally set the stage for first ever commercial release of an Assamese film in America. Xhoihobote Dhemalite was released at Cine Grand Cinema Fremont (California) on July 27 and at Cine Grand New Jersey on August 3. For some of the Assamese non-residents, it was a surreal moment witnessing the Assamese alphabets for the first time in silver screen and hearing the sound of own mother tongue coming out of the sound boxes of American theatres. It was another dramatic day as competing against 150 films from 36 countries , Xhoihobote bagged the best film, best actress (Dipannita Sharma) and best music (Anurag Saikia) at the Love International Film Festival in Los Angles. Those were tears of joy for us, of recognition that, by the most unexplainable confluence of circumstances, our worlds have come together united. Xhoihobote Dhemalite is a chronical of triumph of humanity and the story of Bidyut Kotoky is proof that, above all else, hard work, perseverance and will power are all that really matter.           
                                                                                                  
                                                                                                      ankurbora@hotmail.com 

Updated 


Xoixobote Dhemalite was shown on November 3 and 4th 2018 ,  at the Cinema St. Louis under the Category Asian Focus. Cinema St. Louis offers programs that provide glimpses of the human experience from around the world.  It was a great occasion for Assamese community to watch an Assamese movie at the theater, following is a write-up by Chandan Mahanta to Bidyut.


For me, personally, it was a nostalgic trip, a homecoming, for more reasons than one. I grew up in a village ten miles south of Sibsagar, not too far from the Naga Hills, a place called Namti. That could not be a familiar name to most people. The story line involving the insurgency touched my family’s life also, in more ways than one and thus was very relevant. You captured the sights, sounds and life of my childhood that are so indelibly etched into my being, beautifully. I thank you and commend you on that. That it was authentic, was very important for me. I have seen other films where Assam’s rural scenes were incorporated, but the life portrayed did not always carry the authenticity that Xoixobote Dhemalite carries. Right from the beginning I connected to the sounds of rural Assam that you all picked up with great sensitivity and incorporated into the film so skillfully. I was greatly impressed by something most people would not even register, the sounds of the plough-man moving his oxen in the rice paddies in the background, sounds that are deeply embedded in my memory as sounds of a primordial struggle for survival. The drone of the ‘Hetuluka' ( green barbet), the sounds of the Dauk ( Marsh Hen) at dusk, the wail of the Keteki, call of the  Kuli sorai( Indian Koel), the symphony on night insects , all of them! I did not miss the two women fishing in the paddies in the distance in one scene. The sensitivity with which you and your associates crafted these into the movie made it very special for me. Selection of the ocale at Gogamukh ( although I had not ever been there) was very wise.

I loved the child actors. They did great. It must not be easy to direct children to be natural and not ‘ACT’. From the opening scene, the little girl who would not drink the juice, I was amazed how you had it done so naturally and authentically. The boys and girls did a very nice job in the film. Kudos on that! Bob, the RIFF reviewer also mentioned that. The overall acting was  much better than what little I have seen of films from India, where the recurring problem I find is with ‘ACTING’, not being natural and believable. I found Dipannwita’s part the most natural among the adults.

Great going! Hope you all will at least break even if not make some money and that Xoixobote Dhemalite will lead to even bigger and better successes to come. Our very best wishes to you and your associates. Hearty congratulation to Amrit Pritam Dutta. I understood that Amrit is India's best sound engineer and that he won the prestigious Golden Reel Award (the sound world's equivalent to the Oscars). What a  great collaboration here!